Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Mumbai:The Directorate General of Civil Aviation draft, that proposed draconian measures against pilots who are found by the airline doctor to have falsely reported sick for duty, has precipitated anger amongst pilots across the country. Several pilots took to online platforms to denounce the draft and call it a danger to air safety.
On November 7, TOI had reported that the DGCA had put out a draft that said the government could debar a person from temporarily or permanently holding a flying licence if...in its opinion, it is necessary to do so in public interest. The draft came in the wake of last week's flight disruptions suffered by Jet Airways after a number of its pilots reported sick and went off their assigned flight duty, sans prior warning. Aviation safety experts criticized the draft that gives the airline management power to act against pilots it feels have reported sick 'too often', especially during festivals and weekends.
An online petition by pilots on change.org received 1,979 signatures till Tuesday evening, in protest against the draft. The draft, which will come into effect from December 1, is open for suggestion and comments till November 23.
09/11/16 Manju V/Times of India